This tool, developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), is intended as a short screen to quickly identify people who might have a problem, but who are currently not seeking treatment for problem gambling. The screen could be used by anyone who wants to investigate gambling as a possible issue without completing a longer questionnaire.
Clients can use the CAMH Gambling Screen as a self-assessment tool, or you can use it as part of your screening process.
The PGSI is an abbreviated version of the original tool called the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, consisting of 9 items rather than 31. Clients can use it as a self-assessment tool, or you can use it as part of your screening process.
The original 31-item tool, which measures gambling involvement, problem gambling behaviour and adverse consequences, was initially developed to measure the prevalence of gambling and problem gambling in the general population. Research is currently being done to test its use with a treatment population.
This five page questionnaire was developped by CAMH research scientist John Cunningham for V-CC Systems. It is completely anonymous and has been designed to help you, your loved ones or your health care professional answer some questions you might have about gambling.
This questionnaire, which was developed by Gamblers Anonymous, is intended as a self-assessment for “compulsive gambling”. It has not been scientifically tested and validated, so caution should be exercised in its use.
The SOGS, which was developed in the US, is a 20-item questionnaire used to screen for “pathological gambling” in clinical settings. This instrument was developed many years ago based on an inpatient population of males in a VA hospital. Increasingly the field has identified limitations in the instrument, and it is being used less and less in Canada.
The SOGS-RA is a revised version of the SOGS that was developed in order to measure “pathological gambling” among adolescents.
People who struggle with gambling problems often experience serious social, emotional, financial and health consequences. For many, coping with the negative emotions related to these issues, can become just too overwhelming. Feelings of shame, hopelessness and failure may seem too hard to bear. And for some, suicide appears to be a solution to all of these problems. As a result, appropriate screening for suicidality is crucial.
The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is the primary system used to classify and diagnose mental health disorders. The DSM criteria for “Pathological Gambling” is mostly used in US because many insurance companies in that country require an official diagnosis before they will cover the cost of treatment. This is not generally the case in Canada.
Developed by scientists and clinicians at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), The Inventory of Gambling Situations is a clinical tool that allows addiction therapists and researchers to identify the situations in which clients with gambling problems are at risk for relapse. The IGS generates an individualized profile of a client’s gambling behaviour by identifying situations associated with the client’s gambling in the past year.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the saved Client IGS Profiles. This is a free program available from the Adobe web site. Follow the download directions on the Adobe web site to get your copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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